Coming into their three-game series against the New York Yankees, the Houston Astros had to be feeling good. They were coming off of a successful five-game road winning streak. The Yankees, meanwhile have been on the downturn as of late, falling below .500. Plus, Houston has almost always played well against New York throughout the years.

Which is why it came as a shock when the Astros got swept by the Yankees. It was the first time since 2013 that the pinstripes swept Houston in a three-game series. The losing skid knocked the team down the pole, ceding control of the division to the Seattle Mariners. After the game, manager Dusty Baker talked about the “tough” series loss, per MLB.com.

“That was tough to take, especially with the number of Yankee fans in our stadium,” Astros manager Dusty Baker said. “You can’t fret over it now because we only have a few hours to get over this one and then a tough series in Texas.”

Before the start of the series, the Astros held the pole position in the AL West, just edging the Mariners and the Texas Rangers. With their slight skid, though, Seattle has taken back control of the division. There's effectively just two Wild Card spots remaining, with the Tampa Bay Rays' record being way-too-high for any other team to chase. It would make Houston's life much easier if they qualified by being the division leaders.

The Astros now take a short trip to face off against a familiar foe. The yearly Lone Star Series has major playoff implications this time around. Both Houston and the Rangers need this series to keep up with the Mariners. Another sweep here might be devastating to their playoff chances. Houston needs to pull their game together, at least for this three-game series.